Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1887-06-11
SIZE KEEPS FIFTY DOGS.
The Curious Craze of Cultured but Eccen-
trio Lady.


The eccentric wife of Captain Black,
the chief defender of the anarchists, keeps
fifty pet dogs at her mansion at Park
Ridge, ON the Northwestern road, says
the Chicago Herald. Most of the dogs
are NeWfoundIands, St. Demands, or q
mixture of these breeds, and there are
about e dozen Newfoundland puppies,
which have not as yet been named. All
of the dogs are under the care Of 3
wrinkled old German named Garrigues;
who once had charge of the kennels OF a
German nobleman. He lives with the
dogs and sleeps with them.
young man named LOZieT is the car
penter, and some idea may be formed OF
the expense Mrs. Black incurs in keeping
her canine family when it is stated that
he is employed for nothing else than to
repair the fences, kennels and building
which the dogs destroy.
"Those dogs will eat q hole right
through the side Of house," says Mr..
LoZier; "they ate q hole through door
one night-they will eat anything. Take
g good deal of stuff to feed them? You'd
think so if you had to pay the billsEtOr a
week or two. They eat two or three
boxes of bread day, q hGlf-barrel Of
meat, besides biscuits, crackers and
soup. They are well fed. Mrs. Black
won't stop for expense when il comes 10
feeding her dogs. They get soup twice q
week regularly. All the dogs are poor
now, but that's because Of the dry wealth
err Dogs don't flourish in such dry
weather as we have been having, and we
have no pond here for them to get to-
There's one a few blocks east, but we are
afraid 10 take them over there any more
since 50 many threats have been made"
Presently, q large woman attired ia
black, with her short, curly hair waving
back OF her head as if the wind was COLI
stantly blowing in her face, comes out II
the yard Round her ere twenty or thirty
dogs, delighted TO kiss her hand or even
touch the hem OF ner garments. Mrs.
Black calls her dogs by name and throws
them food, but even III their mad rush for
biscuits they are not unmindtul Of her
words of command. 1t IS obvious that
Mrs. Black loves her dogs and that they
love her.
"These. are my children" she says,
standing surrounded by NaWtoundlands
and ST. Bernards of all ages snd sizes,
and with her hand resting lovingly upon
the fine head Of old Rover, who stands
thirty-tve inches high at the shoulder.
81 raised them all, with one exception.
Jack, the Tramp we call him-COme
here Jack-dropped IN on Us one day,
homeless and hungry. We have kept
him ever since and think Just as much of
him as if he was q member OF our fam
lily. With one exception my dogs are all
harmless creatures. See the baby at the
window? TDat's my sisters baby, and
all these dogs love her dearly. We could
place that baby right out here IN the yard
and the dogs would play with her al day
and never harm hair of her little head"
at is your purpose to see what can be
done in the way of utilizing dogs TO furn-
ish power for running sewing machines
and sVch things in the house, is it, Mrs.
Black"
ayes; am only awaiting a more is
vorable opportunity tC make some expert
ments in that direction. Just now | am
bothered more by the problem how to
keep my dogs than how TO use them. 1t
is fact that we are living IL e state Of
siege here. The villagers have made SO
many threats as to what they would do
with pistols and guns thst we fortify our
house we have from two to three dogs on
guard. This also accounts for the bad
appearance OF our place at this time"
Mrs. Black is certainly g remarkable
woman, an able writer and remarkable
conversationalist. She has already deliv-
cred several discourses in the pulplts of
the two churches in Park Ridge, and has
an ambition in the direction Of the minis
try. She has no children, having lost the
six born to her, but is now rearing an
adopted boy.
Her mother raised six adopted chill
dren. MIS-. Blacks father was promi-
nent lawyer in Texas, and commanded e
brigade in the Confederate army. 1t IVES
during the war, and when Captain Black
was in Texas as Union soldier, that their
first meeting took place, amid romantic
circumstances. Mrs. Black still owns in
her own right family landed estate
which is the fourth largest in the state of
Texas.